The government, police and the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) got excellent advice on the weekend from Justice Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana. They should pay attention and improve their current performance. Mr Suwaphan warned them to handle the case of the Pathum Thani arms seizure "in a transparent and straightforward manner". So far they have not.
The March 18 army-police raid on a Pathum Thani home was accompanied by mass press coverage. This is normal for police when they want to brag about their accomplishments. In this case, authorities seized a substantial cache of weapons, ammunition and grenades, almost all of it military grade. Nine suspects were arrested, and are still in custody.
Right from the start, this operation was going to be met with public scepticism. The scope of the raid and the blanket invitations and requests for friendly media coverage seemed strange. Immediate questions raised by the public, especially on social media, wondered why, if the police were so confident they would find a large arms cache, they had not previously swooped on it.
The reason for the publicity overload by police spokesmen quickly came clear. The home was owned by flamboyant fugitive red-shirt Wuthipong Kochathamakun. Better known as Kotee, Mr Wuthipong had his 15 minutes of fame in early 2014. His rude broadcasts, which he took personally to the scene of the now-defunct People's Democratic Reform Committee's "Bangkok Shutdown" protests, devolved into an anti-monarchy screed. Charged with lese majeste, Kotee fled to Cambodia, then to Laos. He has not been seen in public since the May, 2014 coup d'etat by now-Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The police's statements and reactions seemed only to perpetuate the disbelief surrounding the weapons find. National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda led the press conferences. The weapons cache, he said at first, was to be brought out and used against authorities trying to search Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Of course, the main search had already taken place and no weapons were used.
The second charge made personally by Pol Gen Chakthip was even more difficult to believe. He said those behind the arms cache, including Mr Wuthipong, were plotting to kill Gen Prayut and his No.1 deputy, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, the minister of defence. Pol Gen Chakthip claimed this was clear, because the weapons cache included a rifle equipped with a telescopic sight. This was, he "guaranteed", meant to be used to assassinate the two top generals.
Now the nine suspects have been charged with terrorism, even though no acts at all have been traced to either the nine arrested men and women, to the fugitive Mr Wuthipong or to any of the seized weapons. The government has been caught up in the case, claiming it will press Laos to deport the infamous Kotee to face charges. Similar requests have been made to Laos several times, about Mr Wuthipong and another half-dozen lese majeste suspects living in the communist country. Up until now, no nation has deported or extradited a suspect on lese majeste charges.
This is an important case. The seized weapons represent a threat to national security. It wasn't easy for the government and its information machine to make this case so suspicious. It was mishandled almost from the outset, a point made clear to the minister of justice as well as the general public.
Mr Suwaphan's instruction, directed specifically at the DSI who has taken the investigation from the police, must be taken seriously. "Transparent and straightforward" is credible. Charges about assassination and the Dhammakaya sect are not. Trust in the government and its security forces is far easier lost than regained.